DESCRIPTION (adapted from the application) This is an application for a 5-year renewal for the Colorado Clinical Nutrition Research Unit (CNRU). The Colorado CNRU was originally funded in January 1995 to serve 41 investigators with 5 million dollars in funding for nutrition-related research. Now, if our fourth year of operation, we serve 56 investigators with approximately 10 million dollars in nutrition-related funding. The broad goal of the Colorado CNRU is to enhance the nutrition-related research of our research base and to help promising young scientists with an interest in nutrition develop into independent investigators. The theme of the Colorado CNRU, nutrient utilization, captures the broad interests of a majority of our research base members. We have identified 4 research focus areas within that broad theme: obesity and diabetes; developmental aspects of nutrient utilization; micronutrient utilization and function, and community nutrition. The research supported by the CNRU includes a continuum from the patient or healthy subject to the subcellular and molecular levels. We propose an Administrative Core and 3 scientific core laboratories: Energy Balance, Metabolic, and Mass Spectrometry. The use of core laboratories, the number of CNRU supported publications and the federal funding for nutrition research has grown steadily over our first 4 years of operation. The CNRU Director, Dr. James O. Hill and the Associate Director, Dr. Robert H. Eckel are supported by a strong Executive Committee. The Colorado CNRU is located with an exciting Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, but faculty from Colorado State University participate in the CNRU through an existing CU-CSU consortium. The Center for Human Nutrition has strong programs for nutrition education, research training, clinical nutrition services and community outreach. The existence of a CNRU in Colorado has energized an already strong group of nutrition investigators and has led to many exciting new collaborations and interactions. Through the CNRU, our nutrition investigators have gained recognition both nationally and within our universities. We look forward to continuing to enhance nutrition research within Colorado over the next 5 years.